chocochip almond nut biscotti

i have been wanting to make more biscotti since my first attempt, but the thought of the super sticky dough kinda put me off. despite so, i still bought nuts for biscotti making, because Dear mentioned he really liked biscotti. biscotti are ideal snacks for Dear cos he enjoys coffee and they can keep really well in air-tight containers, and so can be stored in his office.

i am so sure he is gonna love this one more... this batch of biscotti is more crispy than the previous ones. adding chocolate chips is an excellent idea.

ChocolateChip Almond Nut Biscotti (adapted from Good Housekeeping: Favourite Cakes, Bakes, & Cupcakes)

 Ingredients:

125 g ------------ plain flour, sifted
1/4 tsp ---------- baking powder
75 g ------------- golden caster sugar (i replaced it with 20 g brown sugar and 55 g white sugar)
pinch of salt
pinch of grounded cinnamon
1 tsp ------------ milk (i used 1 tsp milk powder)
1 ---------------- large egg, beaten with vanilla extract
1/4 tsp ---------- vanilla extract
25-30 g --------- almond nuts, chopped
25-30 g --------- chocolate chips

Method:

1. preheat oven to 200degC
2. pour plain flour into a big bowl
3. stir in baking powder, sugar, cinnamon and salt
4. create a well in the centre of the flour mixture and add milk, egg, almond nuts and chocolate chips in it
5. using a fork draw flour from the sides and mix until a sticky dough is formed
6. transfer sticky dough onto a flour surface and knead into a ball
7. roll ball into a 28 cm log shape dough and transfer to a non-stick baking sheet on baking tray. lightly flatten the top surface
8. bake in 200degC preheat oven for about 20-25 min, until top is browned
9. reduce oven temperature to 150degC
10. remove half baked dough from oven and transfer it onto a chopping board (dough is still very hot; you may allow it to cool for a while before transferring)
11. slice dough into 1 cm strips and place the strips (cut side up) back on the baking tray
12. bake at 150degC for another 15 mins or until slightly browned and dry

hmmm... something is missing. is it espresso? Americano? or in local context... KKOOOPPII-OOO KOOOOOSONg...

Pandan Chiffon Cake 1

pandan has a nice aroma and is popularly used in many Asian and Chinese desserts. pandan's best friends are coconut milk and kaya..

Dear's family (of indonesian background) makes the best pandan cake! when i was first introduced to their pandan cake, i was expecting a chiffon cake but to my surprise, it was a dense pandan cake. nothing like the local pandan chiffon cake but i really love it! bengawan solo and subway niche both sell "kaya cake", which is quite similar to Dear's family pandan cake.

unfortunately, i dont get to eat Dear's pandan cake often. only when his mommy visits singapore then i get to enjoy it. since the mid-autumn festival, i have been craving for pandan cake. pandan chiffon cake seemed like the most logical choice of bake since recipes are easily available. BUT, from my simple research, i realised that it takes a LONG trial-and-error process to master the BEST pandan chiffon - something insanely fragrant, moist but light.... interestingly, i found out that prima deli (singapore) sells two types of pandan cakes - the normal one and the premium one... the latter costs about twice the price of the former, and just about the same as that of bengawan solo... by the way, bengawan solo apparantly sells the best pandan cake in singapore...

i really believe that there is a secret ingredient AND a secret technique to making the best pandan chiffon. while i'd used pandan paste and storebought coconut milk here, i know nothing beats using real stuff like real pandan leaves (blended and essence extracted) and freshingly squeezed coconut cream.

well, you might have noticed that the post title is pandan chiffon cake ONE. yes, i believe i will be pursuing the pandan-chiffon perfection..

Pandan Chiffon Cake (adapted from Bisous A Toi)



Ingredients:

100 ml ------------- coconut cream
1tsp ---------------- pandan paste
100 g -------------- cake flour
1 tsp --------------- baking powder
50 g ---------------- canola oil
4 ------------------- egg yolks
100 g --------------- castor sugar (divided)
one pinch of salt

5 ------------------ egg whites
1/4 tsp ----------- cream of tartar

Method:

1. preheat oven to 170degC

2. mix pandan paste into coconut milk. mix well

3. add oil, yolks, 50g sugar and salt into the mixture from 2 and mix well

4. sift in flour and baking powder and whisk using a handwhisk until smooth. set aside

5. using an electric mixer, beat egg whites and cream of tartar until frothy.

6. add the remaining 50g sugar until beat until stiff peaks (meringue forms)

7. transfer 1/3 of the meringue into the coconut-flour mixture and mix well using a handwhisk

8. slowly fold mixture 7 into the remaining meringue until well incorporated

9. pour final batter into an ungreased 18-cm chiffon pan and bake for about 50 min

just as i expected, this is quite a big gap from my ideal pandan chiffon. much room for improvement. this cake was fairly fragrant and light but not moist. i might have over-baked it.

just keep trying!

HCL wrap - not hydrogen chloride!

this is my first post on a savory creation!

wraps are lunch quickies! simple to make and yummy, with the right ingredients. made this as a snack for Dear. the wrap is bought off-the-shelf from supermaket..

Ham&Cheese Lettuce (HCL) Wrap

seeing to much of green? think i should add tomatoes or purple cabbage to make it more colourful.... but i dont really like tomatoes... hmm..

coffee buttercream layer choco-sponge

it is quite easy to figure that i had some coffee buttercream left over from my previous bake and hence this coffee buttercream layer sponge cake. turns out that the coffee buttercream goes even better with these sponge layers.........

i like how one of my friends described this creation - awesome centre cake.. *delighted*

Coffee Buttercream Layer Choco-Sponge 

Ingredients:

choco-sponge cake (adapted from Bisous A Toi)

6 --------------- eggs
110g --------- sugar
1 tsp --------- baking powder
1 tbsp ------- ovalette
113 g ------- cake flour
2 tbsp ------- milk powder
1 tsp --------- chocolate paste
1/4 tsp ------- salt
113 g -------- unsalted butter

coffee buttercream (pls see previous entry on coffee walnut whip cupcake; chopped walnuts are optional but i added chopped walnuts and choco-rice to the coffee buttercream)

Method:

1. Sieve cocoa powder, flour, baking powder, salt and milk powder into mixing bowl. add in the rest of the ingredients except melted butter. Beat at high speed for about 7 mins or until fluffy
2. pour in melted butter and stir lightly until well combined
3. bake in preheated oven at 175degC for about 15 min
4. Remove from oven and let cool
5. divide cake into two equal proportions
6. spread a layer of coffee buttercream on top of one of the cake layers and stack the other one on top of it.
7. slice and serve

and there you have it! chill and serve if you like. it tastes as good.

coffee walnut whip cupcake

i was never fan of cupcakes but have recently taken an interest in baking them, but not yet eating them maybe just because they look pretty. images of cupcakes do great justice to plain-looking recipes with just words. yes, i only read recipes with images. i know that is quite superficial right? but thats how my brain neurones work when it comes to recipe hunting - first impression counts.... 

anyhow, i personally think that not all cupcakes are super fanciful. some are simpler and their toppings are coloured by natural ingredients such as coffee and fruits as compared to the pretty ones which could have coloured icing and fondants as toppings. my current interest in cupcakes is in those that are "paler-in-comparison" ones. think they are also quick and easy; great for hosting a large number of guests!

coffee walnut whip cake
(adapted from goodhousekeeping book)

little notes: i used vietnamese coffee. was a gift from my mum's friend. the aroma was heavenly!

ingredients
100 g ------------- walnuts, grounded
175 g ------------- butter, soften
150 g ------------- self-raising flour, sifted
175 g ------------- soft light brown sugar (the cupcakes turned out so sweet that i would use 100 g the other time)
1 tsp ------------- baking powder
50 ml ------------- milk
3 ------------------ medium eggs

coffee buttercream
1 tbsp ----------- instant coffee granules
50 g ------------- butter, soften
200 g ----------- icing sugar, divided (i used only 150 g)
50 g ------------- walnut, chopped finely

Method:

1. preheat oven to 190degC. line muffin paper cases in 12 muffin tins
2. put grounded walnuts into a large mixing bowl
3. add butter, flour, sugar, baking powder, eggs and milk to the walnut. using a handheld electric mixer, mix the mixture until pale and fluffy
4. spoon and divided the mixture into the 12 muffin paper case
5. bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until golden and risen
6. cool cupcakes in the tin for 5 mins and then transfer into cooling rack and cool completely

coffee buttercream
7. dissolve coffee granules in 2 tbsp of boiling water
8. add the butter and 100g of icing sugar t coffee mixture and whisk until smooth
9. chill for 30 min
10. add the remaining icing sugar to the chilled mixture and whisk until smooth and creamy

11. using a jam spread or small spatula, spread the coffee buttercream on the top of the cupcakes and dip the top into chopped walnuts.

viola! aromatic coffee walnut whip cupcakes.. perfect with a cup of afternoon tea...

lemon blueberry loaf - smurfilicious

this is an overdue post. it has been more than a week since i last baked. Twas a hectic week for me.

i was thrilled when i won preview tickets to Smurfs 3D two weeks ago. Smurfs 3D was nothing more than a kid's movie but the Smurfs are really cute.. seeing those Smurfberries prompted me to bake something with blueberries and so i did. 

blueberries are one of my favourite fruits and i can easily finish one punnet in less than ten minutes by myself. They appear to be extremely good for the eyes too, hence those berry essences as nutritional health products. hmm.. i wonder exactly how many blueberry goes into one bottle of Brand's berry essence and GNC's. GNC's berry essence drink tastes wonderful. you should try it too!

nutrition facts aside, blueberries make excellent bakes and desserts. i think many people enjoy blueberry bakes such as blueberry muffins, blueberry scones, blueberry yoghurt, blueberry cake, jams, tarts....the list goes on..

it was coincidental that i had lemons in my fridge and they pair really well with blueberries. so there you got it - lemon blueberry loaf cake. i like that i could enjoy fresh blueberries in the fluffy-buttery cake, embodied with a nice citrus flavour. the only thing i didnt quite like was perhaps using blueberries that were too big; it made slicing slightly more difficult.

Lemon-Blueberry Loaf Cake
(adapted from Joy Of Baking.com)

Ingredients

195 gm -------------------- all-purpose flour

1 tsp ------------------------ baking powder

1/4 tsp --------------------- salt

85 gm ---------------------- unsalted butter, room temperature

150 gm -------------------- granulated white sugar

2 ----------------------------- large eggs

1/2 tsp --------------------- pure vanilla extract

1 tbsp ------------------------ grated lemon zest (outer yellow skin of the

lemon)

120 ml ----------------------- milk

1 cup ------------------------- fresh blueberries

Lemon Glaze: (i omitted this)

50 grams -------------------- granulated white sugar

2 tbsp ------------------------- fresh lemon juice

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180degC and place the oven rack in the center of the oven. Butter (or spray with a non stick vegetable spray) the bottom and sides of a loaf pan 23 x 13 x 8 cm

2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.

3. In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter until softened (about 1 minute). Add the sugar and continue to beat until light and

fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.

4. Beat in the vanilla extract and lemon zest.

5. With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture (in three additions) and milk (in two additions) alternately, starting and ending with the flour. Mix only until

combined.

6. Gently fold in the blueberries.

7. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 55 to 65 minutes, or until the bread is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes

out clean.

8. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, bring the 50 grams of sugar and the 2 tablespoons of lemon juice to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves.

9. When the bread is done, remove from oven and place on a wire rack. Pierce the hot loaf all over with a wooden skewer or toothpick and then brush the top

of the loaf with the hot lemon glaze.

10. Cool the loaf in the pan for about 30 minutes then remove from pan and let cool completely on a wire rack.

This bread is best served on the day it is made.